What was on TV? Sat, Jan 1, 2005
It's a New Year, and a new Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular!
20 years ago, some things were exactly the same. TV was filled with football on New Years Day: The Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Reiaquest Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl...but I prefer a different sort of sport.
4:00 Brian Boitano's Skating Spectacular on NBC
Available on YouTube
I've watched many, many skating specials. Many feature musical guests. Musical guests were becoming more and more common in the mid-2000s, as the skaters themselves were not such a big draw. And I'm grateful that the musical guests helped keep skating shows alive. But I almost always fast-forward through programs with a live singer. The programs are usually put together quickly, and the constant cut-aways to the singer always annoy me. And I often just...don't like the music.
But in this show, the musical guests really take things to the next level. Headliner Brian Boitano opens the show, with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti providing live music. And it's gorgeous. Only really good skaters can really pull off jazz, and Brian is a great skater. The music is simple and languid and it suits Boitano's skating so beautifully. Nancy Kerrigan and pair skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier also skate to the music of Chris Botti, and the programs are both gorgeous. And I almost never like Kerrigan or S/P's exhibition skating.
The second half features Richard Marx, and he proves a valulable addition to the show too, with Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko's program to "Right Here Waiting" being a particular highlight.
The whole show is great. There's a gorgeous pairs number to "Both Sides Now" featuring three couples both on and off the ice. The fact that two of them are now divorced makes it better. It's a great show, and choreographer Rene Roca (a US ice dance champion and dear friend of Boitano's) deserves much of the credit. The version of the show I watched was only uploaded this month, skating fans should go watch it!
TiVo Status
Just the three-hour Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince. One day I'll watch it.
